F1 abbreviations and acronyms, explained
Formula 1 timing screens and results are full of shorthand. DNF means did not finish, DNS did not start, DSQ disqualified, DNQ did not qualify and NC not classified. On the car, DRS is the overtaking aid and ERS the hybrid energy system. This guide groups the most common F1 abbreviations by where you will see them.
Watch a race and the timing screen throws shorthand at you: DNF, VSC, FP3, MGU-K. The lists below group the abbreviations you will meet most often, with links to fuller explainers where we have them.
Race result codes
These appear in the official classification next to a driver who did not take a normal chequered flag. A car is only "classified" if it completed at least 90% of the winner's race distance[1].
| Code | Meaning |
|---|---|
| DNF | Did not finish (retired during the race) |
| DNS | Did not start |
| DSQ (or DQ) | Disqualified |
| DNQ | Did not qualify |
| DNPQ | Did not pre-qualify (a historical 1980s and 90s code) |
| NC | Not classified (ran, but under 90% of race distance) |
| Ret | Retired (used like DNF on many feeds) |
| WD | Withdrawn (entered, then pulled out) |
| EX | Excluded |
| C | Classified (a finisher) |
| +1 Lap | Finished one or more full laps behind the leader |
Session and weekend abbreviations
| Code | Meaning |
|---|---|
| GP | Grand Prix |
| FP1, FP2, FP3 | The three practice sessions |
| Q1, Q2, Q3 | The three knockout segments of qualifying |
| SQ | Sprint Qualifying (sets the grid for the Saturday Sprint) |
| PP | Pole position (P1 on the grid) |
| FL | Fastest lap of the race |
| Px | Finishing or grid position, for example P1 is first, P10 is tenth |
On-car and power-unit acronyms
The hybrid power unit changed for the 2026 season: the MGU-H was removed and the MGU-K was made far more powerful, shifting the unit toward a roughly even split between combustion and electric power[2].
| Code | Meaning |
|---|---|
| DRS | Drag Reduction System (the moveable rear wing that aids overtaking) |
| ERS | Energy Recovery System (the hybrid system as a whole) |
| MGU-K | Motor Generator Unit, Kinetic (recovers and deploys braking energy) |
| MGU-H | Motor Generator Unit, Heat (recovered exhaust heat; removed for 2026) |
| ICE | Internal Combustion Engine |
| PU | Power Unit (the full engine plus hybrid package) |
| KERS | Kinetic Energy Recovery System (2009 to 2013, the forerunner of ERS) |
| DAS | Dual Axis Steering (a 2020 Mercedes system, banned from 2021) |
Track, flags and timing
| Code | Meaning |
|---|---|
| SC | Safety Car |
| VSC | Virtual Safety Car |
| Box | Radio shorthand for "come into the pits" |
| Delta | A target time a driver must stay within, for example under the Safety Car |
| OOR | Out of race |
| Blue flag | Move aside, a faster car is about to lap you |
Where to go next
- The scoring behind the results: how F1 points work
- When a penalty changes the order: F1 stewards and penalties
- The full plain-English glossary
- [1]How does F1's points system work? Everything you need to know (the-race). Accessed 2026-06-20.
- [2]2026 regulations explained: F1's new power units (Formula1.com) (formula1). Accessed 2026-06-20.